


Experiences, New and Old

by MaidenM



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Monster Reaper, Mysterious Origins, ancient magical being discovering technology, old nerd discovering old books, widower Jack learning to be close to someone again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 20:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14678433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaidenM/pseuds/MaidenM
Summary: What can a old veteran and an eldritch horror learn from one-another? Reaper hasn't yet learned how to handle the tv remote on his own...Part 3: Friendship part of the MonsterR76 zine "The monster in your closet"!





	Experiences, New and Old

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 by Akiko Natsuko [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Monster76Zine/works/14678628)

"What IS this?" Reaper gasped as he pulled the wonderful object closer around himself. Warmth unlike anything he had felt as far as his memories could reach spread around him as he shifted on the couch in almost childlike glee. Jack looked up from his beverage – hot cocoa he called it, Reaper reminded himself, another amazing human creation – and chuckled lightly.

 

"It's called an electrical blanket," Jack explained before getting back to his own bargain of the deal. The deal being that Reaper was allowed to use one object of his choice in exchange for one of his own belongings.

 

Reaper huddled in on himself, a cocoon of warmth, as he studied the human on the other side of the room. His payment for borrowing this... electri-kal blanket had been one of the few items he had stowed away elsewhere. An old book, filled with words and symbols even he couldn't understand.

 

Jack poured over the book with a look of focus Reaper hadn't seen on him until now. Blue eyes danced behind thick-rimmed glasses as he studied the pages, his eyebrows twitching slightly in the only sign of any emotion on his face.

 

Not that Reaper needed to read anyone's face to know their feelings.

 

Focus and fascination rolled off Jack in steady waves, betraying his stoic facade to Reaper's senses. The old creature found himself enthralled, not to mention surprised that a human would find any of his old things interesting. Over the many, many years he had accumulated a number of curious objects but very few remained in good condition as the decades gave way to centuries.

 

_ How old was that book? _  Reaper found himself wondering. He couldn't remember were he had gotten it. He couldn't remember a lot if he went back far enough, he realized. The book must have been in his possession... perhaps since his existence began?

 

"This is incredible," Jack spoke out loud, snapping Reaper from his thoughts. "The writing in this book is not unfamiliar to me but... it is entirely inconsistent..."

 

Reaper straightened slightly at this. "You know the symbols?" he asked, and if his surprise and a sliver of  _ hope _ could be found in his voice Jack did not mention it. The human shrugged and moved to turn on his flat information thi--  _ tablet _ , Reaper reminded himself with a touch of pride.

 

"I recognize them," Jack began, his finger flipping across the surface of the tablet a few times, "but I wouldn't say I  _ know _ them. But here's the strange thing..." Jack held up the tablet so that Reaper could see it. On the bright screen a figure was shown, one very similar to what Reaper had seen in the book.

 

"This is a symbol from an ancient language, one that has appeared in only one culture often in their shrines or burial grounds. A symbol so very  _ very _ close to it appears quite a lot in this tome," Jack explained with a quick nod towards the book, "but  _ this _ ...," he flicked his finger over the symbol, causing another figure to appear, " _ also _ appears several times. What is interesting about that is that they are  _ not from the same culture _ . Not even from the same continent!"

 

Reaper caught a whiff of Jack's excitement as the man began to show more symbols, all familiar yet unknown to Reaper's mind. The man's gestures became wider and less reserved as he spoke of various cultures, various  _ eras _ that he could see in the pages.

 

Reaper had to admit, it was very endearing.

 

"Not to mention, the further you get the more these symbols mix with each other and in the last few pages there's even latin letters! There's a sentence here I think is composed of three old european languages at once! Where did you get this from?" Jack asked, an excited and curious look on his face.

 

"I...", Reaper hesitated. Several answers came to him, all at once.  _ I had it all my life. I found it. I wrote it. It was given to me. _

 

He couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to say all of them at once.

 

"I don't remember," he said after a while. Jack nodded, seemingly satisfied and fully unaware of the pit that opened in Reaper's mind at the question.

 

"I imagine you've found a lot of interesting things in your time," Jack mumbled, more voicing a thought out loud than stating a fact of asking a question.

 

_ I must have _ , Reaper found himself thinking.

 

The old creature huddled further into his warm blanket, idly watching as Jack returned his attention to his book. He had never really thought about... his existence, to put it bluntly. He existed. He lived. Years passed by slowly or all at once, like a broken wheel rolling unevenly through time. He didn't always pay attention. The one thing he knew about himself was that he was  _ old _ . Mountains, both metaphorical and real, rose and fell but  _ he _ remained. Had he  _ always _ existed?

 

Now that the question had worked himself into his mind, he found himself picking up traces of what he could only label as memories. They didn't fit together, but piled into an uneven heap like jigsaw-pieces from hundreds of puzzles. He was certain he had been young once.And old. He hadn't travelled much. He had seen the world. He had a family, he was sure. He was also sure he died alone.

 

"That reminds me," Jack said, breaking him out of his thoughts, "I found something in the woods, I think it belongs to you actually."

 

Jack pulled the aforementioned something from his pocket and approached the old creature. Between his fingers, wrapped around his hand he held a thin golden chain.

 

"I think you must have dropped it a while ago, those antlers aren't the safest place for loose jewelry," Jack chuckled, gesturing to the various ornaments hanging from Reaper's horns. "I thought you might want it back," he finished, holding his hand out with the chain pooling in his palm.

 

Reaper reached out, more out of an automatic response that anything else. His talons hovered over Jacks hand, grazing the skin ever-so-softly before brushing against the chain.

 

It felt familiar. It felt like it was something he had done many times, as both the giver and receiver. It felt important.

 

It was also entirely new, he realized as he looked up at Jack's scarred face.

 

"Keep it," he said quietly, touching the veteran's fingers tenderly to urge him to close his palm. "I... I'd like you to keep it," he repeated. Jack looked down at where Reaper's huge hand covered his own. For a moment he seemed confused before a small smile tugged at his scarred lips.

 

"Alright. Thank you," Jack said as he pulled back his hand and pocketed the chain. "What do you want in return?"

 

_ Ah, right, the deal... _ Reaper reminded himself, finding himself surprisingly...

 

_ Embarrassed? Disappointed? _

 

He twisted slightly in his seat, feeling very out-of-place with these strange reactions he found both confusing and familiar. For some reason, it was difficult to meet Jack's face and Reaper burrowed himself deeper into his warm blanket cocoon.

 

"... The blanket. A few more hours with the blanket," he muttered.

 

Jack's face was a look of surprise. Then his face twisted into a grimace, making Reaper worry that he had done something--

 

"Achoo!" Jack sneezed.

 

There was a pregnant pause. Jack sniffled slightly, rubbing his face as Reaper relaxed.

 

"... sorry, must be coming down with something," Jack explained before giving Reaper a tired grin. "You can keep the blanket for the rest of today, do you want to watch a show?" he gestured towards the tv in front of the couch. Reaper perked up immediately.

 

"History documentaries!" he demanded, settling in with childlike glee as Jack helped him put on the show. There was so much of the world he hadn't seen. So many stories he hadn't heard. He barely noticed as Jack slipped away from him as he watched the show, fully enthralled.

 

Minutes turned into hours, story after story unveiled itself on the screen. Reaper had asked one time too many how the pictures could move until Jack had gotten fed up and "wikia-ed" it for him. There was a lot of words, any they had both tapped on word after word gaining little knowledge as article after article contained yet more words that made no sense.

 

In a way, it was reassuring. Reaper felt better about not knowing what was written in his books when he saw that Jack couldn't tell him the meaning of his own modern words.

 

Reaper was knocked out of his trance – the tv was currently explaining to him what "taxidermy" was and he had to admit it looked fun – when Jack nudged him slightly.

 

"Look, Jack! That animal isn't alive but it looks so-- what happened to you??" Reaper interrupted himself as he looked up. Jack was red around his nose, his eyes clearer than usual and he looked tired. Reaper was two seconds away from fawning over him when Jack spoke up.

 

"I think I've caught a cold," he sniffed. "Move, will you?"

 

"There's plenty of room on the couch, Jack..." Reaper grumbled but nonetheless scooted a bit for Jack to sit.

 

"If you want to keep the blanket, you're gonna have to share," Jack clarified, waving his hand in a "open up" gesture.

 

Reaper stared at the vet for a few seconds. There was a warmth blossoming in him that didn't seem to come from the heated blanket. As he opened up he was surprised to find Jack not just slipping in under but moving to sit in between Reaper's legs.

 

"J-jack?" Reaper stuttered as Jack made himself comfortable. He almost pushed the man away but there was something that felt so  _ right _ as Jack nestled between his knees.

 

"You're too big, we'd only get half the blanket each if I sit anywhere else," Jack huffed, pulling the fabric closed around both of them. A puff of air shot upwards as the blanket tightened around them, bringing Jack scent of chocolate and something sour and bitter but yet so comforting with it into Reaper's face. After a few moments, Reaper felt him tense. "Unless... you're not uncomfortable like this right?" Jack mumbled.

 

_ 'He really must be sick,' _ Reaper thought to himself.  _ 'The redness is spreading to his ears...' _

 

Big arms closed around the man, cocooning them both in a warmth that had nothing to do with electricity.

 

"This is good," Reaper reassured him.

 

They were both asleep before midnight.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Part 4 and 5 by ValkyrieGail [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14606475/chapters/33759849)


End file.
